Green Tea plus Lemon

In a study of more than 40,500 Japanese men and women, those who drank five or more cups of green tea every day had the lowest risk of dying of heart disease and stroke. Researchers attribute the protective effect to catechins, powerful antioxidants. Trouble is, less than 20% of these relatively unstable compounds survive digestion. To get more out of every cup, squeeze in some lemon juice. The vitamin C in lemons helps your body absorb 13 times more catechins than it can obtain from plain tea alone, according to a Purdue University study.

Sip to Your Heart's Content with the catechin boost from vitamin C, you can help your heart by drinking just one or two cups daily, If lemons make you pucker, squeeze in some orane, lime, or grapefruit juice; they increase antioxidant absorption, too, though to a lesser extent. Just skip the milk-it actually interferes with absorption-and stick to freshly brewed tea, hot or iced.

Source: Prevention "Fit Over 40"